Blaze of Glory
by N'kala
Summary: A drug case brings an old friend for Don and bad memories for Charlie. Rated M for strong language.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Blaze of Glory  
**Author:** N'kala  
**Disclaimer:** shocked gasp . You mean they _don't _belong to me?  
**Summary:** A drug case brings an old friend for Don and bad memories for Charlie.  
**Author's Notes:** This was originally for the Numb3rs Virtual Season, but I decided to go ahead and post this to instead. Also, my knowledge of Los Angeles is incredibly limited, so some of the places in this story are purely fictitious.  
**PS:** The reference in the epilogue to 'the wheelchair guy' actually came from a moment in my astronomy lab in college. One of my lab partners referred to Stephen Hawking as 'the wheelchair guy', and since then it's been kind of a small joke among a small group of us.  No disrespect meant.

**Blaze of Glory**  
By: N'kala

Chapter One

The sound of the elevator's arrival shook Don out of his thoughts, and he joined his coworkers as they filed inside. Not a word was spoken as one of the agents pushed the button that would send them to the floor they needed, each person completely worn out.

Don and his team had been working the last three weeks on a particularly difficult case involving a dangerous drug lord that had been found to be operating out of Los Angeles. The drug ring had slipped under their radar, peddling only small amounts of their wares until their distribution had grown. It wasn't until the son of a friend of the D.A. had been found, dead from an overdose, that the authorities had begun to take a closer look. Investigations by LAPD had revealed that the drug that the victim had died from had never been seen before.

The family of the victim had pulled some strings, and the FBI had taken over the case. Their own investigations into the case had revealed that the drug had been recently created and was flowing steadily onto the streets of LA, slowly claiming more victims.

The drug, termed by its users as Blaze, was one of the deadliest drugs to ever hit the streets. A derivative of Ecstasy, it was far more potent and deadly. Whereas Ecstasy's effects caused the user to experience the emotions that gave it its name, Blaze caused what felt like a blazing inferno through the user's brain. Through the intense feeling, the user would be subjected to terrifying hallucinations of the user's worst nightmares. Eventually the effects would fade, leaving the user a trembling, horrified mess. In Don's opinion, the only thing worse than being subject to such an awful experience was the overwhelming craving for Blaze that developed after the user came out of his hallucination. Living your worst fear was one thing; living it over and over was quite another.

The FBI's investigation had not been going very well. Their case was right in the public eye, and they had very little to show for all their work other than the increasing number of corpses. The brass was breathing heavily down Don's neck, and it seemed only a matter of time before they stepped in.

The elevator slowed, letting out a soft chime as the doors slid open. The agents filed wearily out of the car and toward the bullpen, knowing that what awaited them was more work. Don felt his exhaustion burn his eyes. He and his team had been working nonstop for the last few days, and he knew that it was merely a matter of time before they finally gave in to the pressure. Until then, though, he would push them forward.

"Okay guys, take ten minutes to freshen up and grab something to eat, then meet in the conference room," he called to his team.

Of all of the team members, only David acknowledged Don's words. He turned back, an inquisitive look fighting through the exhaustion. "I'll go pick us up something from the break room."

Don smiled faintly. "Thanks, David. See you in ten."

David nodded and headed for the break room. Don walked away from the direction his team had taken, going to his desk for his notes.

Sinking wearily into his chair, Don paused his file collection and leaned forward. He rested his elbows on his desk and covered his face, rubbing away any traces of his own exhaustion. He knew he needed to appear refreshed and energetic to his team, but it was getting more and more difficult the longer he went without a break.

"Don?"

The soft, tentative voice of his little brother jolted Don out of his thoughts. Dropping his hands, he turned to look up at Charlie, who was hovering nearby. Charlie's face was filled with concern, his intense brown eyes studying his brother's features.

"Charlie," Don stated, confusion coloring his tone. "What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"

Charlie's frown of concern deepened slightly. "We had plans. When you didn't show, I thought I'd stop by and see what was keeping you."

The barest flicker of a memory appeared before Don's eyes. He had not been around the house much since the case began, and he had promised Charlie he would eat lunch with him. A quick glance at his calendar on his desk told him that the lunch had been scheduled nearly two hours ago. He winced.

"Sorry, Buddy, I forgot," he said, looking back up at Charlie. "We've been pretty busy."

Charlie nodded. "I figured. That's why I thought I'd bring lunch to you."

"I wish I had time to sit with you and eat it, Buddy, but I have a meeting-," Don began.

"I figured that, too, so I went ahead and ordered pizza for everyone," Charlie cut in. "It's waiting in the conference room."

A rush of warmth flooded Don's chest as he stared at his brother in surprise. The words to express the gratitude he felt failed him, and all he could do was gape openly at Charlie.

Charlie smiled slightly. "You're catching flies, Don."

Don abruptly shut his mouth, but the shock was still there. "I . . . don't know what to say, Charlie. This is . . ."

Charlie looked down at his feet, a slight flush rising in his cheeks. "Don't worry about it. Least I could do. I waited here so I could tell you, but I have to get back to the university."

"Wait!" Don said as Charlie moved to leave. "You don't have to go now, do you? Sit and eat with us."

Charlie's smile grew slightly. "Thanks, Don, but I already ate. Go ahead. I'll talk to you later."

Don nodded dumbly as Charlie left, smiling and calling farewells to a couple agents. Physically shaking himself into action, he stood and gathered his notes, then moved into the conference room.

* * *

Don heaved a deep sigh and leaned back in his chair as the last of his team filed out of the conference room. They had made some headway, he had to admit, thought not much. After several hours of going over their information and making some phone calls, Don had finally dismissed everyone for the night, telling them not to return until nine the next morning. He hoped a good night's sleep would bring fresh perspectives the next day.

The pizza that Charlie had ordered had done wonders for his team. Though no one mentioned it, Don knew that they were touched at the gesture from his younger brother. The food had helped them to focus back on the case and attack it with more energy than anyone had any right to possess.

David poked his head back into the conference room as Don stood. "Hey, Don? You heading over to your brother's?"

Don raised an eyebrow. "I was thinking about it. Why?"

David moved further into the room. "Have you thought about bringing him in on this with us? He's helped us out on some other cases in the past, and he might be able to shed some light on this one."

Don nodded, stacking his folders and files into one large pile. "I thought about it. I'm just not sure how much help math can be in this case."

David shrugged. "He's surprised us before. But, if you _do_ go, tell him thanks from all of us."

Don grinned. "I'll do that."

The bullpen was quiet and nearly deserted as Don made his way past the desk, his arms laden with all of his notes. He called goodbye to the few agents still left and climbed into the elevator, pushing the button that would take him to his car.

Don's head was swirling with all of the information he and his team had gathered since first taking on the case. He was frustrated that they hadn't been able to get more after three weeks of investigating. He feared that, if they didn't get a break soon, the person responsible would get away clean.

As Don drove down the streets of LA, his hands had taken over steering from his preoccupied mind. When he surfaced from the depths of his brain, he realized that he had steered himself onto the street where his brother and father lived.

It was half past eight in the evening. Not too late for a visit. Don knew that both Charlie and their father would still be awake. He guided his car down the familiar street and pulled into the driveway, operating more out of memory than anything else. Shutting off the engine, he gathered his notes and headed for the door.

"Hello?" he called, pushing the door shut behind him with his foot. "Dad? Charlie?"

"Donnie?" Alan rounded a corner, coming from the kitchen with a confused look on his face. The confusion quickly melted away into a smile. "Hey, haven't seen you in awhile. How's it going?"

Don set his notes down on a nearby table and accepted the hug that his father offered. "Not so good. We can't seem to get a break in this thing."

Alan pulled back and gestured for Don to have a seat in the living room. "You look exhausted. When was the last time you got a good night's sleep?"

"I'm planning on fixing that tonight," Don replied, ducking the question. "I wanted to stop by and visit for a little bit, though. Where's Charlie?"

"Right here." Charlie descended the steps, carrying a book. "I thought I heard your voice, Don. What's up?"

"Not much," Don replied. "Hey, thanks again for the pizza. The guys all appreciated it. It helped."

Charlie smiled. "I'm glad. Where _were_ you guys today, anyway?"

Don leaned his head back against his chair. "We got a tip that a big sale was going down this afternoon between a couple guys we've been keeping our eyes on. I was hoping that one of them would lead us to whoever they work for, but we were made."

"What happened?" Charlie asked, sitting in a nearby chair.

Don rubbed his forehead wearily. "I'm not sure. One minute, the deal's going down, the next they're running. We managed to grab one of them, and we recovered a couple kilos of Blaze, but that's it."

"Blaze?" Alan echoed. "Isn't that that new drug that's on the streets?"

Don nodded. "It's some pretty bad stuff, and someone's making a ton of money off of it. My team and I have been trying to figure out whoever's behind this, but we haven't come up with so much as a name."

Charlie nodded solemnly. "I've heard a couple students talk about that stuff. The way they talk about it tells me that they're pretty scared by it, and from what I hear, they should be."

Don's eyes narrowed slightly at his brother. "Has any of it surfaced at CalSci?"

Charlie shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of. CalSci's a pretty small community. Everyone pretty much knows everyone else's business. I can ask around if you want."

Don nodded. "Yeah, thanks. While you're at it, could you take a look at what we've got? I know it isn't much, but if you can come up with any patterns or something to help us nail this guy . . ."

Charlie stood and moved over to the pile of papers near the door. "Sure, Don, I can get started right now."

Alan hid a smile at his youngest son's eagerness to help and instead focused on his eldest. "You want to crash here tonight, Donnie? You look halfway there already."

Don smiled wearily. "Yeah, I think I will. Thanks, Dad."

He stood and moved for the stairs, intending to take a shower. Halfway up the steps, he turned back and saw Charlie, head already bent over several of the files. "Hey, Charlie."

Charlie's head snapped up, eyes locking with Don's in confusion. "Yeah?"

Don smiled. "Thanks, Buddy. I really appreciate what you're doing for us."

Charlie flushed with pleasure, a lopsided smile appearing on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The next morning dawned bright and clear, a sharp contrast to the mood Don found himself in. Scowling at the peaceful blue sky, he rolled out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom to get ready for another trying day.

Less than twenty minutes later, Don came downstairs to find his notes and reports on his case spread out over the dining room table, completely covering the surface. He paused near a familiar, ragged notebook covered with Charlie's mathematical scrawls. Don squinted at the numbers and symbols on the page, but finally gave up when he reminded himself that he would never make heads or tails of any of it. A part of him never ceased to be amazed at how easily his little brother seemed to make his numbers become valid facts and predictions. If someone had told him two years ago that he would be using math to solve his cases, he would have laughed.

"Morning," Alan greeted softly as he emerged from the kitchen. He held two steaming mugs of coffee, one of which he handed to Don. "You look better."

"I _feel_ better," Don replied. He took the mug with thanks and gestured to the table. "I wonder how late he stayed up."

"Pretty late," Alan said. "I came down to check on him at about two in the morning and found him passed out on top of all that. Didn't put up much of an argument when I got him up to go to bed."

Don raised an eyebrow. "He must've been tired." He drained his coffee in several large gulps, then set it down on top of one of the files. "Listen, Dad, I have to get back to the office. We need to find some sort of lead before this gets any worse. See you tonight for dinner?"

"Of course," Alan replied. "Be careful out there."

"Always," Don called back over his shoulder, already on his way to the door.

* * *

Despite a fresh night's sleep, it was beginning to look to Don as though his team would never catch a break. They had spent all day running down anonymous tips, rechecking the stories of the families of the victims, and fielding countless calls from the public and quite a few higher-ups. By the time it was late afternoon, Don, David, Colby, and Megan were all sitting in the conference room, racking their brains.

"Don, we've gone over this," Colby argued. "We're just looking for information that simply isn't there."

"Look, I'm just as frustrated as you are, but we're going to go over all of this again and again until we find something," Don shot back. "No one's perfect. These guys, they're just better at covering their tracks than most criminals, but the clues are there."

David sighed. "Well, I think the families are a closed avenue. They didn't even know the victims were using."

"Tracking the whereabouts of the victims hasn't brought us any points of commonalities that we can see," Megan added.

"Charlie's working on that," Don told her. "I'll check with him tonight on that. How about LAPD? They got anything?"

"They've got their snitches working overtime on this, trying to give us a hand, but it's so hush-hush that no one seems to know about any shipments or dealers until they see them on the street," Colby answered.

"How about the guy we picked up on fourteenth yesterday?" Don demanded.

Megan shook her head. "He's not talking, but I think it's because he doesn't know anything."

"Any word on another deal?" Don tried again.

David shrugged. "Colby and I leaned on a few people, but nobody knows a thing."

"Dammit!" Don exclaimed. "It's been almost a month, and we have multiple casualties with barely any solid leads! The druglords are covering their tracks too damn well, and the pushers on the street aren't even remotely connected to their bosses. This drug is finding its way into the hands of more and more people every single day that goes by, and despite all of our work, what do we have?"

"A big problem."

Don turned at the sudden voice and stood as a tall, muscular man in his mid-thirties entered the room. He had a brash smile on his open face, but somehow it didn't seem to meet his ice-blue eyes. The other agents in the room watched in amazement as Don approached the man, clasping his hand in a welcoming grasp before pulling him into a hug.

Colby leaned closer to David. "Either Don knows that guy, or the pressure has finally caught up to him."

"Danny!" Don exclaimed, pulling back. "It's been, what, ten years? How the hell have you been?"

"All right," the man replied. "You look like you've done well for yourself."

"What are you doing here?" Don asked.

"Well, I work for the DEA now," the man, Danny, replied. "My bosses assigned me to help out with your big drug case, but I had no idea I'd be working with you."

"That's great!" Don replied. He ushered Danny further into the room. "Let me introduce you to some of my team. This is Megan Reeves, Colby Granger, and David Sinclair. Guys, this is Danny Levinson. We went to school together."

"High school?" Megan asked politely.

"More than that," Danny grinned. "We went through college and even the FBI Academy together. I only stayed with the Bureau for a couple years before transferring over to the DEA, though. We go way back."

"We could certainly use any help we can get," Don stated.

"That bad, huh?" Danny asked.

"Tell you what, I'll bring you up to speed over dinner," Don decided. "Besides, Dad'll love to see you again."

"Sounds great," Danny replied.

"We'll get back to those witness statements," David announced, standing. Megan and Colby stood as well. David turned to Danny. "It was nice meeting you, Danny."

"Same here." Danny shook David's hand, then Colby's and Megan's, then promptly turned back to Don, dismissing the others from his mind as they filed out of the room.

"Man, I can't tell you how great it is to see you again," Don said, grinning broadly. "Hey, are you still seeing Jessica?"

Danny rolled his eyes and waved a hand dismissively. "Are you kidding? That was over _years_ ago, and I've been through a few other women as well. How about you? Last I recall, you were still moping over, uh, Lake, wasn't it?"

Don shook his head. "It _has_ been a long time. Actually, Terry was here in L.A. She transferred back to D.C. a few months ago. Listen, we can do all this at home. Come on, Dad should be just setting the table by now."

* * *

"First call, Charlie!" Alan called up the stairs. "Dinner's almost ready!"

There was no response, but Alan didn't expect one. He moved back into the kitchen to finish pulling the food out of the oven. When Charlie was involved in a major project, it had become their ritual for Alan to call two warnings to his son before putting the dinner on the table. If Charlie didn't appear by the third call, the agreement- set by his late wife- had been to let Charlie fend for himself. However, Charlie had a tendency to become so firmly ensconced in whatever he was working on that he would simply forget to eat. As a result, someone usually went to go and pull Charlie away from what he was working on- that someone had usually been Alan's late wife.

The sound of a door closing distracted Alan from his thoughts. "Donnie? Is that you?"

"Yeah, Dad," came the voice of his eldest son. "I've brought someone else home for dinner. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not," Alan called back, busy lifting the chicken out of the oven and setting it on the stove. "Who is it? David?"

Don entered the kitchen, a wide smile on his face. "Not exactly."

Alan looked up in time to see a familiar figure move into the kitchen. The shock on his face quickly melted into a welcoming smile as he went to greet the newcomer. "Danny! My God, it's been years! I didn't know you were back in town!"

"On business, mostly," Danny replied. "I see the place hasn't changed much since I was here last. Looks great."

"Well, we're more than glad to have you here with us," Alan stated. "Go ahead and have a seat while I get you a drink. Donnie, go give your brother his second call, then go set another place."

Danny followed Don back into the dining room. "Oh, the runt still lives here? He still doing his math thing?"

Don nodded, heading for the stairs. "And then some." He looked up. "Charlie! Second call!"

"I'm coming!" Charlie turned the corner and hurried down the steps. "I think I'm making some real headway on those figures you gave me, and-." He froze when he reached the bottom of the steps and spotted Danny standing near the table. In the blink of an eye, his enthusiasm faded into a guarded, emotionless mask. "Uh . . . hi, Danny."

Danny nodded. "Hey Charlie. How've you been?"

Charlie glanced down, dropping his eyes on anything other than on the predatory gleam in Danny's eyes. "Fine."

"Danny's staying for dinner," Don told him, lightly clapping Charlie's back before moving into the dining room. "That's cool with you, right?"

Charlie shrugged and nodded, still avoiding Danny's penetrating stare. "Yeah, cool."

"I didn't know we needed his permission," Danny said lightly.

Don smirked. "Not really, but this _is_ his house now."

"Seriously?" Danny asked. He turned back to Charlie. "I didn't think you could make that much adding two plus three."

Charlie heard Don snicker, and he felt a sharp stab of emotion in the pit of his stomach. Suddenly, he was twelve again, and his older brother was once more shutting him out.

"Charlie!" Alan entered the room, carrying the chicken on a platter and setting it in the middle of the table. "I thought nothing short of a bomb would pry you from your notes. You've been working almost nonstop on that drug case. Go get a drink and come sit down."

"Drug case?" Danny echoed, glancing at Alan. "As in Don's case?"

Don nodded, handing his friend a beer. "Yeah, Charlie's been consulting for the Bureau on a regular basis for about a year now. He's used math to help us solve a few crimes."

Danny's expression was one of skepticism, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

Charlie shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "Uh, I just remembered. I have to go meet Larry in about twenty minutes about something from school. Can you save me some dinner?"

"What, can't it wait?" Alan asked.

"I'm afraid not," Charlie replied. He shifted again. "I'll be back later. Um . . . nice to see you again, Danny."

"You too," Danny answered, a thoughtful expression growing on his face.

Charlie left the room as fast as he thought was polite, not slowing his pace until he was outside, in the garage. Pressing his back to the car, he heaved a deep sigh.

He couldn't believe it. He had thought that that time in his life was over. Never in a million years would Charlie have believed he would be seeing a reminder of his past standing before him.

Charlie sank to the ground, drawing his knees to his chest. Danny and Donnie. The two had been inseparable from day one. Though Charlie and Don had never really gotten along, the rift had widened more and more each day once Don had started hanging out with Danny.

Danny had been a hit with their parents. He had been polite, respectful, funny, and had acted almost like a second older brother to Charlie whenever Alan and Mary had been in the room. When it was just the two teenagers and Charlie, Danny had ridiculed the younger boy mercilessly. What was worse was that he managed to get Don to do it, too, and Don was able to hit Charlie in places that no one else could reach. Charlie had been truly hurt by Don whenever he was with Danny.

But when Danny had been left alone with Charlie . . .

Charlie gave a small shudder. No one knew that Danny used to bully Charlie into doing his homework for him. He never told anyone that Danny thought it was funny to knock him around when he was bored. No one would ever suspect that a bright, popular young man had, on more than one occasion, goaded other teenagers at the high school into picking on Charlie as well. Charlie hadn't ever said a word, and he knew that, even if he did, no one would believe him.

And now Danny was back.

Charlie rose to his feet and moved over to his bike. Since receiving his driver's license, he had taken to driving more and more to where he wanted to go, but he suddenly felt the urge to burn some of the anxiety that had settled quickly over him. Walking his bike out of the garage and onto the driveway, he climbed on and silently glided out into the waning daylight.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three 

Colby was typing on his computer, running through the victims' profiles for what seemed like the hundredth time, looking for possible connections. Glaring at the screen, he reached down for his coffee mug and lifted it to take a sip. Bitter cold liquid touched his lips, and he winced. Turning, he was about to stand and take his coffee to the microwave when he spotted a familiar figure hovering on the edge of the bullpen.

Charlie was glancing around nervously, his hands drawn in close to his body as they flexed and twisted in each other. He was shifting from one foot to the other, practically radiating nervousness. No one else had noticed his presence yet, and it was clear that Charlie was ignoring everyone else as his eyes swept the large room for something.

Colby reached out and nudged David. "Hey," he said. "Check it out."

David glanced at him, a little confused as he was pulled away from his own work, then turned to look at whatever it was Colby was pointing out. He frowned when he spotted Charlie. "What's he doing?"

"I don't know," Colby replied softly. "But that's a little weird, isn't it?"

David was stopped from answering when Charlie suddenly froze. His expression didn't change too much, but his eyes suddenly reflected fear. Colby and David exchanged curious looks and followed Charlie's gaze across the bullpen to where Don and Danny were talking and laughing at something.

"Now _that's_ interesting," Colby stated.

Charlie began to fidget again, his hands moving to grasp the strap of his backpack. He seemed to be toying with the idea of running, but never got the chance when Don spotted him and waved him over. Still smiling at his conversation with his friend, he didn't seem to notice Charlie's apprehension.

"This isn't a zoo, guys, quit staring."

Colby and David gave a start and turned to glare at Megan. "Shh!" Colby hissed. "Keep it down, will ya?"

Megan folded her arms. "What's going on?"

David gestured to Charlie. "See for yourself."

The three watched as Charlie approached Don and Danny, coming to a halt just out of Don's reach. His shoulders were so taught with tension that the observers could practically feel his muscles straining.

"Why's Charlie so nervous?" Megan whispered.

David shook his head. "Don't know."

Colby frowned. "You know, I think Don's buddy might have something to do with it."

David and Megan looked at him. "What?" Megan asked.

"Look, it's just a feeling," Colby explained. "Anyway, have you ever seen Charlie this nervous before?"

The other agents had to agree that they had not.

Don made a move as though to gently pat Charlie's shoulder, but Charlie deftly avoided the contact, shying away from his brother. This move stunned the agents, and Don was no less surprised as the smile fell from his face and he turned to give his brother his entire focus. Whatever he asked Charlie was dismissed by a shake of the young genius' head, and Charlie retreated from the two to move over to the conference room.

Don and Danny exchanged a few more words, and they separated. Don finally noticed his agents watching him and headed over to them.

Colby cleared his throat and turned back to his computer, hearing David do the same. Megan remained where she was, meeting their team leader's challenging look with a determined one of her own.

"Anything yet?" Don asked once he was nearby.

"Ah, not yet Don," Colby answered.

"Nothing on my end either," David added. "I'm running a few cross-checks . . ."

David's voice faded into the background as Colby turned his attention back to Danny. Something about the DEA agent set him on edge. Danny didn't seem to notice Colby's piercing gaze as he glanced at Don's back, then moved in the direction Charlie had taken.

Warning bells went off in Colby's head. Claiming the need to find a microwave for his cold coffee, Colby escaped from the impromptu meeting and followed Danny towards the conference room.

* * *

Charlie fought off the small tremors running through his body. He forcefully told himself that it was different this time. He was an adult now. He had just been a kid back then; Danny wouldn't do anything to him now. He _couldn't_ do anything to him now.

He set his backpack on the table and started to unzip it when a hand clamped down on his shoulder. His heart suddenly seized in his chest, and he whirled around.

"Easy, runt," Danny said, throwing his hands into the air. "I just want to talk."

Charlie swallowed thickly, but moved back several steps anyway. "O-Okay. What about?"

"About your involvement on this case," Danny replied.

"W-What about it?" Charlie stammered, silently cursing himself for his obvious fear.

Danny took a step closer, but paused when Charlie responded with another step back. "I just think it's in your best interest that you tell Don that you don't want to work on this case anymore."

Charlie gave a start, surprised. "What? Why?"

Danny's eyes narrowed, sending a shiver down Charlie's spine. "Just like when we were kids. You were always trying to butt in. Let me clue you in, runt. Don and I, we're a team. We work really well together, and we don't need someone like _you_ ruining this case for us. So you're going to tell Don that you don't want to work this case anymore."

"And if I don't?" Charlie asked in a sudden surge of boldness.

Danny took another step closer, backing Charlie into the marker board. "I was kind of hoping for your cooperation here, runt. I don't want to have to resort to my ultimatum here. Do you?"

Charlie flinched at a sudden memory of Danny shoving him into a wall behind the school, followed by several punches to his stomach. Almost unconsciously, Charlie brought his arms up to his stomach, hugging himself protectively. He jerked in fear when Danny's hand fell on his shoulder once more.

"I know you'll do the right thing, runt," he said. With a squeeze that tightened enough to be almost painful, Danny retreated.

Charlie turned to face the marker board, forcing himself to breathe slowly. He had nearly regained control of himself when Colby's voice suddenly sent his heart leaping into his throat.

"Everything okay, Charlie?"

Charlie spun around, his eyes wide. Colby edged into the room, a concerned look on his face. He hadn't been able to hear the conversation between Danny and Charlie, but whatever had been said had obviously affected the young mathematician.

"Everything's fine, Colby," Charlie answered, forcing himself to calm down. "Um . . . I'm still working on the notes Don gave me. I think I'm pretty close to some answers, but I need a quiet place to work. Could you tell Don for me that I'll be in my office at school?"

"Yeah, sure," Colby replied, his voice distant as he stared at Charlie thoughtfully.

Charlie avoided Colby's gaze as he re-zipped his backpack and hurried out of the conference room.

Colby watched him go, deep in thought, before returning to his desk. David was just wrapping up his report to Don when he sat down and forced himself to tune back in.

Don lifted his head in time to catch Charlie's hasty exit from the bullpen. "Hey, where's Charlie going?" he asked.

"He said he needed a quiet place to work," Colby told him. "He was going to go work in his office. Er, Don? You and Danny? You guys seem like you were pretty tight back in the day."

"We were," Don replied slowly, a little confused at the sudden change in topic.

"How did Charlie fit in?" Colby pressed. "I imagine it was kind of difficult, having a brother like him."

Don frowned. "Why do you want to know?"

Colby shrugged. "No reason. Just curious."

Don held Colby's gaze for several long moments. "Okay, well, I'm going to go take another shot at interviewing the dealer we picked up. Keep working on those reports."

As soon as Don moved out of earshot, David and Megan leaned over to Colby. "Well?" Megan demanded. "We saw you follow Danny. What happened?"

Colby sighed, frustrated. "I don't know. I didn't get close enough to hear what Danny said to Charlie, but the kid was seriously freaked out by the time Danny left."

"Are you sure you're not just making something out of nothing?" David asked.

"My gut tells me there's something more going on," Colby insisted. "I can't put my finger on it, but I'm gonna keep an eye on Danny."

"Well, be careful," Megan advised. "I don't think Don will take it too lightly that you're watching his best friend."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Colby replied with a grim smile.

* * *

Don was worried about his brother's actions in the bullpen earlier that day, but the demands of the case had kept him from tracking his brother down and asking about him. It wasn't until late afternoon that Don was able to escape from the Bureau office and drive out to CalSci.

Students could be seen all around the small, peaceful campus as Don parked his car and climbed out. A few months ago strange looks from the college students had been commonplace; after all, his appearance screamed 'FBI', and he _had_ looked rather out of place. Nowadays, students simply smiled a greeting and continued on to their destination. His presence was now a regular sight and no longer drew their curious stares.

Don picked up his pace as he climbed the steps to the math building, but slowed again as he followed the now familiar path through the halls to Charlie's office. He could hear the scratching of chalk on chalkboard from the hall, and he knew that his brother was still hard at work.

He turned the corner and entered Charlie's office. "Hey, Charlie. How's it coming?"

Charlie turned and cast a brief glance at his older brother before returning to his numbers. "I'm just about done with some preliminary findings."

Don dipped a hand into the candy jar on Charlie's desk, drawing out a blue piece. Without skipping a beat, he then picked up a pencil from Charlie's messy desk and marked a tally in the 'blue' column of whatever experiment Charlie was running with his candy jar. He had tried to ask on several occasions, but Charlie refused to talk about it until the experiment was complete.

Charlie scribbled a final Greek symbol Don only recognized because of his years in college and turned to face his older brother. "I think I have a possible location for the next deal."

"What? You do? That's great," Don said, perching on the edge of Charlie's desk. "Where?"

"According to the data, the dealers have been trying to meet in random locations all over the city to avoid detection," Charlie began, immediately slipping into what Don now knew was 'professor mode'. "Now, just like with that rape case from a year ago, it's impossible for humans to consciously select random locations when patterns are so obviously set in their minds."

"And you found a pattern?" Don asked.

"Yes," Charlie replied. "Well, sort of. There's still a lot I have to go back over, but it looks like the dealers are choosing certain places, and are every once in awhile going back to those places once they feel they are no longer under surveillance. According to the information I've been able to look at, your dealers' next spot is on the corner of 42nd and Lincoln."

He gestured to a map that he had pulled up on his laptop. Don stood and moved over for a closer look. "That's the industrial district."

Charlie nodded. "I haven't been able to pinpoint an exact time yet, but with a little more time, I might be able to not only predict the when, I may even be able to give you future dates and times. That is, if the pattern holds true. But then, if you manage to grab these guys this time, then the other dealers will know that you're watching and will try and change their patterns."

"Yeah, like that Heisenberg thing, right?" Don asked.

Charlie stared at Don in shocked silence, speechless for once.

Don looked up and grinned. "What? I pay attention."

Charlie worked his jaw up and down for a moment before finding his voice. "Uh, well, you're exactly right. We'll, uh, we'll know more with more data."

"Then I guess I better go and find you some." Don slapped his brother on the back. "Awesome work, Charlie. This is the first real lead we've had in a while."

He turned and was nearly outside of the office when Charlie's voice drew him up short. "Actually-."

Don hesitated at the door and glanced back. "Yeah, buddy?"

Charlie's eyes dropped to the ground. "Um . . . about the data . . ."

Don turned his body, but didn't move any closer. "Uh huh . . ."

Silence reigned for a couple more moments before Charlie found the courage to speak again. "Don, can I talk to you about something?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course," Don answered, moving back over to Charlie's side. "What's up?"

Charlie suddenly found his feet very interesting. "I . . . I, um, just think that, well . . ."

Don's lips curved slightly into a puzzled smile. "Anytime you feel like sharing, buddy . . ."

Charlie didn't respond to the humor. "I don't want to get in the way, Don. You and Danny . . . you guys are a team. You always were. I don't think you'll need me on this one."

Don's smile fell into a confused frown. "Charlie, what are you talking about?"

Charlie sighed, turning his head to stare at another point on the floor some distance away. "You know what I mean, Don. You and Danny . . . even in high school, you two were always in sync. You finished each other's sentences, you knew what the other was thinking . . . I always seemed to mess things up whenever I came between you two, and I don't want to do that to you again."

"Hey." Don clamped a hand on Charlie's shoulder and squeezed, ducking his head to catch his brother's eyes. "_We're_ a team. Come on, Charlie, I need you on this. You think I'd even ask if I didn't mean it?"

Charlie stared at Don, his eyes searching Don's face for the truth of his words. After a long moment, he finally nodded.

"Okay," he relented. "I'm in."

Don smiled broadly and squeezed Charlie's shoulder again, giving him a slight shake. "All right, I knew I could count on you. Go ahead and keep working on this. I'll send someone by later to see how you're doing."

Charlie nodded again, having difficulty finding his voice. He turned back to face his blackboards, sinking into the numbers that swirled up in his mind. Don watched his brother lift a piece of chalk and hesitate, one hand hovering over the board, and started to walk out of the room. When he reached the doorway, he paused and turned back to Charlie.

"Hey, Charlie," he called softly.

Charlie turned his head back around to face Don, a quizzical look on his face.

"For what it's worth, Buddy, I never thought you messed things up," Don stated. "If anything, you've really come through for me a lot, especially this year. I'm really proud of all the work you've done to help us out."

Charlie flushed a deep red and glance down at the floor at the unexpected praise. "Um . . . thanks, Don."

Don's smile grew as he left the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Don shifted in his seat, his eyes glued to the corner of 42nd and Lincoln. As soon as he had returned to the office after his visit with Charlie, he had pulled several agents into the stakeout. Everyone was excited with the possible lead, and the fact that the information had come from Charlie had merely fueled that fire. Charlie's reputation around the Bureau office was quickly growing. The consensus generally was that if Charlie Eppes said something was going to happen, then something was going to happen. Not even a shred of doubt appeared in the mind of the FBI agents.

"Any sign yet?" Don asked softly into his mic, glancing to his right at David.

"Nothing on our side," Colby reported. He was stationed on the opposite corner with Megan, behind the construction site that was located in Charlie's predicted hot zone, in case the dealers approached from another angle.

"I got nothing," Danny's voice chimed in from down the street. "Donnie, you really think these guys will show here? We have nothing to go on except the word of your brother."

"Who also happens to be an accomplished mathematician," David spoke up before Don could reply. "They'll show. If Charlie says they'll be here, then they'll be here."

"Guys." Megan's voice cut into the conversation. "We've got movement on 42nd, heading your way, Don."

"All right, wait for my mark." Don straightened in his seat, casting his eyes across the street.

Within seconds, a figure moved into view. It was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in baggy jeans and a black sweatshirt that was several sizes too large. The pocket on the front of the sweatshirt bulged slightly.

"Second suspect approaching from the west," Danny's voice spoke up. "Male, twenties, all in black."

"Got him," David said, nodding at a second man walking towards them from down the street.

Don and David watched as the two met each other, talking quietly. Several minutes passed before the first man reached into the pocket of his sweatshirt and removed a plain brown lunch bag. He handed it over to the second man, receiving another brown lunch bag from the second man.

"That's it, let's move!" Don opened his door, drew his gun, and started to run up to the two men. "FBI! Hands where I can see them!"

Both men turned simultaneously at Don's shout. The second man shoved his partner to the ground and took off back in the direction he had come. Don ran forward, hearing David behind him.

"Danny!" Don shouted into his mic. "Second suspect is fleeing on foot, headed right for you!"

"I'm after him!" came the sharp response.

Don nodded and turned back to the first man, who David had just cuffed. As David read the man his rights, Don scooped up the brown bag that the man had dropped onto the ground and opened it.

Colby's car arrived near them with a screech, and the two agents hopped out. Colby reached David in time to help him lift their suspect to his feet.

"What did we get?" Megan asked.

Don shook the contents of the brown bag into his hand. A clear plastic baggie tumbled out, filled with a familiar reddish powder. He held it up and approached the dealer.

"Who is your contact?" he demanded. "Who gave you this?"

The dealer smiled, unconcerned, at Don's angry face. "I want my lawyer."

"Fine." Don turned to Colby and David. "Get him down to the Bureau and process him. I want answers."

Colby and David nodded and pulled their suspect over to Colby's car. Megan turned to Don.

"What about the other guy?"

Don shook his head. "Danny said he was going after the guy. Let's go see if we can track him down."

The two headed for Don's car and were about to jump in when Danny's rental drove up to them. Don moved back around his car and went to the driver's side window. "Danny! You get him?"

Danny shook his head. "Gave me the slip. The construction site is a regular maze. Sorry, man."

Don swore silently. "Okay. We got one of them. Let's regroup back at the office and see what we can find out."

* * *

Don stared hard at the television screen, hoping to catch some clue as to their new prisoner's source of information as Megan attempted to interrogate him. Unfortunately, the man's lawyer was refusing to let his client speak, and despite Megan's valiant efforts, she was forced to walk away with nothing more than an infuriating 'no comment'.

Megan exited the interrogation room and, spying Don, walked over to him. "Sorry, Don. He's not talking."

"Yeah, I know," Don replied. "That's okay. We have another name and some more of the drug off of the street. We can track his last known movements and pass the information on to Charlie."

Megan sighed as they began to move toward the conference room. "I'm beginning to wonder if we're ever going to get to the bottom of this thing. Every time we get close, the next lead seems to slip away."

"We'll get there," Don said confidently. "Look how far we've come since we started. It's only a matter of time now."

They entered the conference room to find David and Colby speaking quietly to each other over a file while Danny reclined comfortably in a chair, his feet propped on the table.

"Anything?" Danny asked Don.

Don shook his head. "He's not talking. We got anything on his background check?"

"He's got a rap sheet with LAPD, big surprise there," Colby stated. "Possession mostly, some armed robbery."

"He lives with his girlfriend not too far from where we picked him up," David added.

"Great, then we'll go and talk to her," Don stated. "Maybe she can give us more information. Let's try and backtrack where he's been. Maybe there's something he and our other suspect have in common."

"We already got Larson and White working on it," Colby told him. "I'll go see what they've come up with."

Don nodded as he left the room. "Good. David, you and I'll go pay the girlfriend a visit. You got an address?"

"Right here," David said, waving the folder.

"All right, then, let's go," Don stated. "I want this case finished within the next two days."

"Hey, Donnie!" Danny dropped his feet to the ground, stood, and moved closer to Don as the other agents filed out of the conference room. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, buddy," Don replied. He turned back to David. "Go on, I'll catch up."

Danny smiled faintly at David, then focused his gaze on Don once more. "It's about the runt."

"Charlie?" Don asked, confusion sweeping across his face. "What about him?"

"I think you should pull Charlie off this case," Danny said bluntly.

Don gave a slight start. "Why?"

"Don't get me wrong, man, but how much more of a contribution can he really make?" Danny wanted to know. "He's found a good starting point for us, but really, there's not much else a math teacher can do, is there?"

Don shrugged. "I don't know, but if I've learned anything from Charlie since he started consulting for us, it's that he's full of surprises. Even if he doesn't come up with anything else, what harm is there in letting him run a few numbers?"

"And you don't think it's dangerous to let him consult on an active case like this one?" Danny pressed.

Don looked at Danny closely. "Are you all right? You've never really been concerned about Charlie before."

Danny smiled and shook his head. "Times change, man, and you gotta change with them. The runt's all right, really. Hey, if you say he can help, that's good enough for me. Listen, I gotta go take care of a couple things on my people's end. Bureaucratic red tape and all that."

"Tell me about it," Don replied, returning the easy smile. "Talk to you later."

Danny waved a farewell as he headed out the door. Don emerged from the conference room, his eyes scanning the bullpen before settling on Megan. He approached her and waited beside her desk as she finished speaking with another agent.

"Yeah?" she asked, turning to give Don her full attention.

"Could you grab Colby and head down to Charlie's office?" Don asked. "He's been able to work on those reports we gave him since yesterday, so he should have some rough results for us."

"Sure, Don," Megan replied. "We'll go as soon as Colby finishes gathering the data from Larson and White. We think Charlie might be able to use it."

"Great," Don replied, feeling a tingle of excitement thrumming through his body. He finally felt as though they were headed somewhere.

Hopefully they'd get there fast.

* * *

Charlie finished the last of his equation, then frowned as he glanced back over the data. He had run the same numbers through his equation at least three times, and the results had come out the same. That had to mean his findings were accurate. He just wasn't sure how well his information would be received.

"So this is where you work. Funny, but I somehow pictured it darker."

Charlie lifted his head from his desk at the voice, and his heart skipped a beat when he realized who it was. His eyes widened as Danny stepped into his office and stared around the room in curiosity.

"Um . . . Don sent you?" he stammered uncertainly.

"Not exactly," Danny admitted. "I just stopped by to see what you've dug up so far. Not that it'll really help or anything."

Despite his anxiety, Charlie couldn't resist responding to the veiled challenge. "Actually, math has been proven to help in most investigations in identifying patterns, determining areas of high crime-."

"Whatever," Danny said dismissively. He moved around Charlie's desk to stare at the boards the younger man had been scribbling on earlier. "Is this it?"

"Ah, well, that's most of it," Charlie replied. "Well, all that I can do right now with the information I have. Really, the more data I have, the more accurate my information tends to be."

Danny shook his head at the sea of numbers and operations. "And Don actually buys into this stuff? It looks like gibberish to me."

Charlie opened his mouth to reply again, but was forestalled by a raised hand.

"Don't even try to explain to me, runt, I ain't interested in it," Danny replied. "I actually came by to see if you bothered to talk to Don yet."

Charlie tensed. "I . . . I did."

Danny cocked his eyebrow. "Then why are you still butting into our case? I thought I made it clear that you weren't wanted."

"B-But I _am_ wanted," Charlie insisted. "Don said he wanted my help, and that's good enough for me."

Danny's face suddenly became very hard, startling Charlie into silence. Charlie took a step back involuntarily, uncertain as to whether or not to keep pressing his point.

The DEA agent moved until he was mere inches from Charlie. "Well, that _ain't_ good enough for _me_. Listen, runt, I don't give a _damn_ if Don thinks you're useful or not. You are still the same little shit who stuck his nose where it didn't belong ten years ago, and I'll be _damned_ if you're gonna tell me how to do my job."

Fine tremors were running through Charlie, but he summoned up enough courage to speak. "B-But Don . . ." he stammered.

Danny seized the front of Charlie's shirt and shoved him forcefully against the wall. "Maybe I didn't make myself clear. You're not needed on this case. Don and I can handle this _alone_. You're not wanted."

Charlie flinched at the hurtful words, an echo from the past. His heart thudded in his chest, but he bravely continued. "I-I tried to talk to Don, but he said that he wanted me to help. If y-you have a problem with that, then maybe you should talk to him."

"Hey! What's going on here?"

Danny released Charlie and took a step back.

Megan and Colby moved into the room, stopping between Charlie and Danny. Colby folded his arms and stepped into Danny's personal space. "Is there a problem here?"

Charlie shuffled behind Colby, snagging Colby's sleeve with a shaky hand. He kept himself partially hidden from Danny. "N-No, nothing's wrong. We were just talking about the case."

"Yeah." Danny flashed a smile that had the hint of challenge behind it. "Thanks for the info, professor. I have to get going. Catch you all later."

Colby and Megan glared after Danny as he sauntered out of the room, then turned to Charlie. Charlie was leaning back against the wall, fighting to get his breathing under control. He studiously avoided the agents' gazes.

"Charlie, are you okay?" Megan asked gently, laying a hand on Charlie's arm.

Charlie pulled away from the touch and straightened. "I'm fine. Listen, it wasn't what it looked like. Danny and I . . . well, we go way back."

"Funny, but I don't remember seeing him holding Don against a wall," Colby said bitterly, ignoring Megan's warning look.

Charlie shrugged. "It was nothing. Really." He chanced a look up at the agents. "Uh, could you guys maybe . . . Don . . . he doesn't have to know about this."

"Charlie, if Danny's assaulting you-," Megan began.

"He's not!" Charlie insisted in a sudden burst of emotion. "He was just fooling around. Don's got plenty on his plate right now, and he really doesn't have to be told, you know?"

Charlie's dark eyes pleaded with the two agents. Megan and Colby exchanged a long look before nodding at Charlie.

"Sure, Charlie," Colby said. "As long as Danny's not hurting you, Don won't hear about this from us."

Relief swept over Charlie's face, and he nearly sagged back against the wall that, only moments before, he had been pinned against. "Thanks."

"Don't thank us just yet," Megan replied. She was clearly as unhappy about their promise as Colby. "You got anything for us yet?"

Charlie returned to his desk to nervously shuffle through some papers. "I-I've started on possible hot spots for the distribution of the drug. The data you've been giving me has helped, but I need more if you have it. Right now, I'd say your best bets are in these locations." He handed Colby and Megan the papers he had been looking through. Colby and Megan glanced down at them.

"Okay, some of these make sense," Colby stated. "Poorer sides of town, abandoned areas, places where no one would talk. But a country club in Glendale? And a private elementary school just two blocks down the road from a police station?"

"Actually, they make sense too," Megan interjected before Charlie could explain the numerical values he had used. "What safer environment to deal drugs than clean neighborhoods with no one suspecting the wiser?"

"But a country club?" Colby pressed.

Megan shrugged. "Even well-to-do upper class elitists like to use recreational drugs every now and then. In fact, there's a good possibility that some of our more well-to-do victims scored Blaze there than going to more dangerous areas."

Colby nodded. "Okay, but other than the D.A.'s friends, there really hasn't been any other high-profile deaths."

"Yet," Megan added. She turned to Charlie. "Thanks, Charlie, this helps. If you've got time, we've brought you our preliminary interviews of another dealer we just picked up. We're wondering if you can use it to give us some more leads."

Charlie nodded. "Okay, I'll see what I can do."

Megan smiled warmly at him and, nudging Colby, left the office.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

_The Next Day_

Don hung up his phone and wearily rubbed his forehead. More victims were being reports each day, and it felt like they were no closer to solving this case than when they had started. Charlie's tentative hot spots had been staked out since the day before, and while they had managed to arrest a couple of dealers of the drug, the men they had busted were so low on the totem pole that there was no chance of getting a lead through them. If they didn't find a break in the case soon, Don and his team were going to be pulled off of the case.

"Headache?"

Don opened his eyes and found himself staring at two small white pills in the palm of a hand. Accepting them, he tossed them into his mouth and swallowed them dry. "Thanks."

Megan leaned against his desk. "We're going to find them, Don. Just give it time."

"Unfortunately, that's not up to me," Don replied. "The brass are screaming for results, and I don't have much to give them."

"How about a possible connection between the lowlife dealers we picked up to the top of the food chain?" Megan asked.

Don sat up. "What are you talking about? Those guys know nothing."

Megan smiled. "No, but your brother does."

Don glanced around the bullpen. "He does? What? Is he here? I didn't see him come in."

"He's in the conference room," Megan stated. "He came in while you were busy on the phone, and he said he didn't want to disturb you."

Don stood and gestured to the conference room. "I think, in this case, that a disturbance would be most welcome."

Megan's smile widened as she followed Don through the bullpen and into the conference room, where Charlie was already at home with the boards and markers. He occasionally consulted some of the papers he had brought with him in his ever-present backpack, but his attention, for the most part, was riveted on the board in front of him.

"Hey, Buddy," Don greeted. "I hear you've got good news."

Charlie glanced back at his brother. "Oh, hey, Don. Er, not exactly good news. Well, not _yet_, anyway. The data I got on the guys you arrested was good. I'm tracking both of their last known activities over the last forty-eight hours, looking at where they've both been, and hoping to find mathematical evidence of commonality."

Don and Megan exchanged looks. "Charlie, we've gone over their stories, and there was nothing in their past activities that matched."

"That they told you," Charlie pointed out. "But I believe we'll find that, while they claim they were nowhere near each other, we'll find anomalies that will lead us to their true locations."

Another figure stepped into the room. "Is the runt at it again?"

The three occupants turned to face Danny as he moved further into the room. Charlie tensed and stepped back, inadvertently placing Don between himself and Danny. Don didn't seem to notice as he smiled a welcome at his old friend, but Megan did and she leveled a cold look on the DEA agent.

Danny was unphased as he smiled brilliantly at her. "I thought I'd stop in and say hi before I head out. I'm going to check out a hunch on a possible dealer hot spot, so I won't be in for the rest of the day."

"Do you need back-up?" Don asked.

Danny waved his hand, unconcerned. "Nah, I'll be fine. I'll call you if I change my mind, though."

"All right," Don said reluctantly. "Good luck."

Danny nodded, flashing him a brilliant smile.

Don and Megan turned back to Charlie. Charlie had been staring at the marker in his hand, shifting from one foot to the next, nervous. At the sudden silence, he glanced up and flushed slightly. "Ah . . . it'll probably take me a couple hours to really dig into these variables, but I should have something for you relatively soon."

"Any preliminary thoughts?" Don asked.

Charlie turned back to the board. "Well, so far it looks like they're telling the truth as to where they've been, but I still have a lot to sort through. I'll let you know."

"Okay." Don slapped Charlie on the back. "We'll be here. Thanks, Buddy."

Charlie smiled bashfully and turned back to the board, already dismissing the agents from his mind. He reached for his coffee mug on the table near his laptop and took a sip as Don and Megan headed back out into the bullpen.

* * *

More than an hour went by as Don and Megan reviewed all of their notes on the case. They barely spoke as they reread reports, witness interviews, and forensic evidence for each victim. With each passing day, the death count was climbing. It didn't matter that the team was out on the streets, giving one hundred ten percent; all that mattered was that the case hadn't come to a close yet.

David and Colby had joined them halfway through their search, adding the most recent reports on the latest victims. So far there didn't seem to be more of a link than the commonality in the cause of death.

"Maybe we're going about this the wrong way," David finally said.

Eyes turned to him. "What do you mean?" Colby asked.

"Well, we're trying to track down the drug ring responsible for the distribution of this stuff, but it's becoming clear that only very few people know all the players," David pointed out. "Maybe we should start taking a closer look at the _manufacturers_ of this thing."

"We've already got people checking it out," Don reminded him. "The chemicals involved are easy enough to trace, but living in a city the size of L.A., a lot of people have access to them."

"What about labs?" Megan spoke up. "They gotta make the stuff somewhere."

A loud crash interrupted their conversation, followed by a muted yell. Don's blood turned to ice at the sound. He doubted anyone else recognized the source of the yell, but the voice was one Don knew all too well. Without a sound, he took off for the conference room, barely registering the footfalls chasing after him.

Don burst into the conference room and skidded to a halt. His jaw dropped in shock at the sight before him. Papers, folders, and pictures littered the floor, interspersed with markers and other office supplies. Several chairs had been upended, lying on the floor near the table. The marker boards were half-filled with mathematical nonsense, marred by strange, abrupt scribblings.

"Oh my God," Megan breathed. "What happened here?"

"_No_!"

"Charlie!" Don spotted his little brother, huddled in the far corner of the room with his arms drawn up over his head. He hurried to Charlie's side, mindfully stepping around the shards of what had once been a coffee mug. He knelt down and grasped Charlie's arms, gasping in surprise as Charlie violently tried to shake Don's hands away.

"Charlie, it's me," Don tried. "It's Don. I'm here. What's wrong?"

"Stay away from me!" Charlie shoved Don back onto the ground and surged to his feet, skirting around the edge of the room. He let out another strangled cry, shoving aside anything in his way. He grasped a forgotten eraser and threw it as hard as he could at David, who was trying to approach the agitated young man.

"Charlie, take it easy!" Colby exclaimed, his hands out in what he hoped was a placating manner.

Don moved to push himself back to his feet and inadvertently put his hand into the remains of lukewarm coffee. He lifted his hand to shake it free of the liquid when he registered the grainy feel of the coffee against his skin. A horrifying thought entered his mind, dropping a chunk of ice into his stomach. He looked back up at Charlie, took in his brother's terrified gaze and crazed yells, his erratic behavior . . .

"Oh my God," he said, hushed.

Megan glanced quickly at Don. "What?"

Don pushed himself to his feet and took a few slow steps closer to Charlie. "Get what's left of that coffee and the mug and send it to the lab to be tested."

"You think somebody poisoned Charlie?" Megan asked.

Don swallowed thickly, his eyes never leaving his brother. "I think someone slipped Blaze into his coffee."

The stunned silence that followed his words filled the room, leaving only small whimpers coming from the young professor, who was now pacing anxiously near the far wall of the room. Don took another step closer. "Charlie?"

Charlie shook his head violently.

Another step. "Charlie, do you know who I am?"

Charlie hugged himself tightly, but didn't stop pacing. "I-I-I . . ."

"Charlie." Don moved until he was a couple steps away and stopped. "Charlie, who am I?"

Charlie slowed his pacing, his head turning toward the sound of Don's voice. "D-Donnie?"

His voice sounded so scared and lost, sending a fresh wave of anger and protectiveness through Don. Whoever had done this to his little brother was going to pay. "Yeah, Buddy, it's Donnie. I need you to calm down, you hear me? You're sick, and I want to help you feel better."

Charlie shook his head and quickened his steps again. "N-No, not sick, can't stop, he wants me to stop, can't stop, can't let him make me . . ."

"Who, Charlie?" Don pressed. "Who wants you to stop?" He could dimly hear Colby ordering other agents away from the conference room. He was peripherally aware of Megan collecting the evidence, and of David on the phone with someone, but Charlie remained the center of his focus.

"No!" Charlie screamed, darting forward as if to seize his laptop.

He never made it.

Don jumped forward and grabbed him, holding him in a tight hug as Charlie thrashed against his grip. It pained Don to hear his brother's terrified yells and demands to be released, but he tightened his arms around Charlie.

"Charlie, it's okay!" he yelled into Charlie's ear. "You know me! You know I'll never let anyone hurt you! I'll protect you, Charlie. You _know_ that."

Charlie's struggles lessened as his brother's words registered. Shaky hands came up to grip the front of Don's shirt, twisting the fabric. "D-Donnie?"

"Yeah, Buddy?" Don asked.

"I-I don't feel so good." His voice trailed off into a whisper, and he went limp in Don's arms. Startled, Don could only support his brother's weight as he lowered the younger man to the ground.

"Charlie!" Don looked up from his brother's pale face. "Call 911! We need an ambulance!"

"Medics are on their way," David replied, kneeling across from Don. "ETA 5 minutes." He glanced down at Charlie, then turned his gaze on Don. "How could someone get Blaze into a federal office building and into the coffee?"

"Good question," Don answered, his expression hardening. "I want everyone trying to track down the source of the Blaze. I want to know who has had access to our office and who's been near Charlie. Whoever did this to him is going down."

David nodded. "We've got some guys already working on it. I swear to you, Don, whoever did this to Charlie won't get away with it. Charlie's one of us."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

_. . . beep . . . beep . . . beep . . . beep . . ._

A gentle, rhythmic beeping filled the otherwise silent hospital room. Don wearily scrubbed his face with his hands, shifting in the chair he had claimed by Charlie's bed. He had been sitting there for about an hour, and the time was beginning to make itself known in uncomfortable ways.

On the other side of Charlie's bed, Alan glanced briefly up at Don before returning his gaze to the still face of his youngest son. His hand firmly clutched Charlie's, gently massaging the younger man's knuckles with his thumb.

Since being admitted the day before, Charlie hadn't regained consciousness. According to the doctors, the overdose had been a very near thing. They had managed to flush most of the drug out of his system before irreversible damage could be done, but Charlie was by no means out of the woods yet. He had ingested large amounts of Blaze, and according to the experts who worked on getting the drug's addicts clean, the hardest part was yet to come.

A fresh wave of anger stole over Don as he thought about the severe withdrawal that Charlie would be going through within the next day or two. He had seen some of the addicts in his investigation, had seen some of the users go through the withdrawal. It was not a pretty thing to witness, and the fact that his little brother would soon be going through the same thing made Don angry. Charlie had done nothing to deserve this. Nothing but try and help him solve this case.

"You need to calm down, Donnie, or you won't be able to help your brother."

Don looked up sharply at his father, who was still staring at Charlie. "What?"

"You heard me." Alan finally tore his gaze away from his younger son. "I know you, Donnie. I know you're going to go back out there and track down the madman who put Charlie here in the first place. But I'm telling you, when it comes to your brother, you tend to act first and think later. You won't help Charlie if you let your anger rule your head."

Don scoffed. "I haven't exactly been doing a great job of looking out for Charlie lately, have I?"

"So you mean to tell me that you _knew_ Charlie was going to be drugged and did nothing to stop it from happening?" Alan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course not!" Don exclaimed. He sighed. "Charlie wouldn't even be working on this case if I hadn't convinced him to stay."

"Yes, well, something tells me that Charlie would have found some way to help you out, whether or not you asked him," Alan replied wisely. "He can be pretty tenacious that way."

Don let out a small laugh and stood.

"Where are you going?" Alan asked.

"Back to the office," Don replied, pulling on his jacket. "My team should have some more information for me by now." He paused and laid a hand on Charlie's forehead.

"Hey, Buddy," he said softly. "I gotta get going, but I'll be back soon. I swear to you, I'm going to find whoever did this, and I'll make them sorry."

Don straightened and, deftly avoiding his father's eyes, strode out of the room.

* * *

_The Next Day_

Colby glared at his computer screen, his eyes not really seeing the words in front of him. His mind kept casting back over the events of the past several days. Memories from Don's DEA buddy appearing on the scene, to Danny's assault on Charlie, and to Charlie's near-overdose on Blaze flashed through Colby's mind in some sort of torturous slide show. The worst of it was that he was beginning to reach some very nasty conclusions that he didn't want to draw about the whole situation.

Colby felt more than saw Megan seat herself in the chair nearest him and turn to face him. He could feel her eyes study his profile as he studiously ignored her.

Megan was not the least bit put off by his rude behavior. "I know what you're thinking."

Colby's jaw tightened. "What, you're going psychic on us?"

Megan's expression didn't change. "Who needs to be psychic when your thoughts are written as plain as day all over your face?"

Colby pointedly ignored her.

"I think we should tell Don."

_That_ caught Colby's attention. He spun around. "_What_?"

Megan shrugged. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes burned with a determined fire that cooled some of Colby's own anger. "I think he needs to know, Colby."

Colby snorted. "Yeah, sure. Let's go tell Don that not only did his best friend from years ago harass his brother, but that we watched it happen and did absolutely nothing about it."

"He needs to know," Megan said again. "I know you're starting to think that Danny had something to do with Charlie's drugging, and I agree with you. His behavior has been too suspicious to just ignore. At the very least, we owe it to Don to tell him the truth."

Colby glowered back at the screen. "Fine. But you're the one who's going to do it."

Megan lifted an eyebrow. "Me? Why me?"

"_I_ sure as hell am not going to do it!" Colby exclaimed.

Megan smiled slyly. "I had no idea you were so intimidated by Don. That's interesting."

Colby immediately took offense to her statement. "That's ridiculous! I am _not_ intimidated by him!"

Megan shrugged. "If you say so." She stood. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

Colby stood as well. "Just a damn minute, Reeves. I'm _not_ intimidated by him."

Megan nodded. "No, I believe you," she said earnestly. "My mistake. Excuse me, I think Don's in the conference room."

Colby watched her walk away. He knew what Megan was doing, but for some reason he couldn't help himself. Cursing under his breath, he jogged to catch up with her. "You don't play fair."

Megan smiled faintly. "Who said anything about fair?"

Colby sighed heavily, but walked into the conference room with Megan. The two paused just inside the door and simply observed their team leader. Don was sitting at the table, going over several reports. David was speaking softly into his cell phone on the other side of the room. Upon Megan clearing her throat, both men turned to the newcomers.

"What is it?" Don demanded, barely concealing the anxiousness in his voice. "Have you found something?"

Megan and Colby exchanged glances, then turned back to the other two men. Colby stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"Don, we think we might know who was behind drugging Charlie," he began, tension building in his stomach.

Don stood and advanced on him, giving the younger agent his entire, unwavering focus. The stress and anger over Charlie's near-overdose and subsequent hospital stay was nearing a breaking point, and he desperately needed an outlet. Colby hoped he was doing the right thing.

"What are you talking about?" Don demanded.

Megan moved closer, standing beside Colby. "We don't know for sure. It's only speculation at this point, but a lot of things are pointing to one answer."

"When you feel like actually sharing that answer with me sometime, let me know," Don snapped.

Colby braced himself. Best to just get it over with. "Don, we think Danny's involved."

Dead silence met those words. Colby held Don's eyes, watching the shock, then disbelief, and finally denial that flared there.

"Danny?" he echoed, his voice strangely even. "That's . . . that's impossible . . ."

"Don, I know this sounds wrong, but hear us out," Megan insisted.

"Danny's my _friend_," Don replied, ignoring Megan. "We've known each other for _years_. He's my best friend!He would never . . . he wouldn't . . ."

"The other day, we went to Charlie's office to see how his equations were coming," Megan told him. "When we got there, Danny was holding Charlie against the wall by the front of his shirt. He looked furious at something."

Don shook his head. He couldn't believe what his agents were telling him. "That's ridiculous. Danny would never do something like that!"

"Charlie didn't want us to tell you, but it's been obvious," Colby spoke up. "Danny's been giving the kid a hard time ever since he got here. I'm telling you, Don, the guy isn't what he appears to be."

Don ran a hand through his dark hair, staring down at the floor. He still couldn't believe it.

Unbidden, a memory from nearly a week before popped into his mind. It was from his discussion with Charlie's participation in this case after Danny arrived. Charlie had wanted to back out of the investigation, claiming he'd only be in the way, and it had only been through Don's gentle insistence that he had agreed to continue on. Strangely enough, though it didn't register at the time, Don had spoken with Danny just hours later about Charlie's involvement. Danny had tried to convince Don to drop Charlie from the team. It all seemed so clear now.

Don's head snapped up. His agents could see the tempest beginning to rage behind his dark eyes. "Megan, I want you to backtrack through all of the work Danny's done since he got here. Look for anything suspect. Colby, David, go track Danny down and stick to him like glue. If he's doing something illegal, I want to know about it."

"What are you going to do?" David asked.

Don snagged his jacket from the back of his chair. "I'm going to go see how Charlie's doing."

* * *

Don could hear the sound of his brother's frantic voice from down the hall. He recognized the pleading tones instantly and broke into a jog, hurrying to Charlie's hospital room, almost afraid of what he would find.

Charlie was twisting around on his bed, dodging the hands that tried to grab him and hold him still. The only things that kept him from falling off of the bed were the restraints around his wrists and ankles.

"Charlie!" Alan was saying. "Please, son, be still! They're only trying to help you!"

Charlie shook his head, tears streaming down his cheeks. "No! No! Leave me alone! It hurts! Make it stop! Please, make it stop!"

"We're trying, Charlie, we're trying!" Alan was nearly beside himself, unable to comfort his baby boy. "You have to let the doctor do his job."

Charlie let out a frightened cry and twisted away from the doctor's hands yet again.

Don moved into the room and pushed past the nurses, insinuating himself at Charlie's side. "Dad?"

"Donnie!" Alan's face showed his relief. "Help me calm him down so the doctor can look at him."

Don reached down and grasped Charlie's face. Charlie tried to turn away, but Don tightened his grip and forced Charlie to look at him. He was stunned at the condition of his little brother, shocked at the red-rimmed eyes and ashen complexion. He pushed that feeling down and focused on Charlie.

"Hey! Buddy! Look at me!" Don ordered. "Look at me. Can you hear me?"

Charlie was still tense, but his eyes were alert as they searched his brother's face. "D-Donnie?"

Don smiled and nodded, but didn't release his brother. "That's right, it's Donnie. Dad's here, too."

Charlie's dark eyes swam behind unshed tears. "Donnie, it hurts. Please make it stop. Make it go away. I don't want to hurt anymore, please."

The plaintive tone in Charlie's voice nearly crumbled Don's resolve, but he held firm. "I know, buddy, I know. Believe me, I don't want you to hurt anymore, either. But you have to let the doctor do his job. He knows how to help you. Can you calm down and let him look at you?"

Panic flashed in Charlie's eyes. "W-Will you stay wi-with me?"

Don nodded. "Yeah, buddy, I'll stay with you."

Charlie stared at Don for a long moment, then nodded slightly. "O-Okay, then."

Don gently patted Charlie's cheek, then released Charlie's face. One of his hands moved down to grasp Charlie's tightly, letting the younger man know that he was still there.

The medical personnel in the room let out a collective sigh of relief. Charlie flinched and tensed as the doctor approached him, but Don merely tightened his grip on Charlie's hand, and Charlie allowed the doctor to examine him.

"Donnie?" Charlie asked softly once the doctor had finished peering into Charlie's eyes.

"Yeah, buddy?" Don replied.

"Wh-What's happening?" Charlie stammered. "Why does it hurt so much? I-I don't remember anything."

Don sighed heavily and exchanged a glance with his father. Alan tipped his head towards Charlie, clearly indicating that Don take the lead in the explanation. "Well, buddy, someone slipped something nasty into your coffee, and you've had a pretty bad reaction to it."

"Why would someone do that?" Charlie asked. "Do you know who's responsible?"

Don felt his father's eyes, but he continued to look at his brother. "Not yet, buddy, but I've got the whole office working on it right now. None of us are going to rest until the guy who did this is behind bars."

Charlie nodded. Don could still see the pain in his brother's eyes, and he wished that he knew how to take it away. According to the addicts who went through rehabilitation, Charlie would be feeling that pain and high anxiety until the drug was completely through his bloodstream, which was still another eight or so hours. The only thing the doctors could do in the meantime to regulate the horrible experience for Charlie was to carefully monitor the young man, administering small doses of pain medication that wouldn't exacerbate his condition. Even though, intellectually, Don knew the doctor was doing everything he could, the emotional side of the agent felt it wasn't enough.

The doctor smiled comfortingly down at Charlie. "You're doing just fine, son. I know you're feeling miserable right now, but it'll get a lot better in a few hours. I'm going to go ahead and authorize another dosage of some pain medicine, see if we can't take the edge off a little. If you have any other troubles, buzz the nurse and they'll beep me."

He nodded to the nurse that had remained with him during the exam, and the two moved out of the room. Alan let out a sigh and sank back into his chair.

"I gotta get back to the office," Don announced. "Colby and Megan were running down a lead, and I want to see if they got anything out of it." He paused, regarding his brother. "Charlie . . . has Danny ever given you a hard time? Maybe pushed you around or something?"

Charlie hesitated. That alone sent a wave of unease washing through Don. "Um . . . did Colby and Megan tell you that?"

Don nodded. "They weren't going to, Charlie, but something came up. Charlie, why didn't you tell me?"

Charlie's eyes shifted to a point over Don's shoulder. "Danny's your best friend. Besides, he didn't do anything bad. And it's not like it's new or anything. I can look after myself."

Don didn't like the sound of that. "Charlie, regardless, nothing gives him the right to bully you. You don't deserve to be treated that way. If someone starts to push you around again, I want you to promise me that you'll come tell me. Promise me."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Don-."

"Charlie, promise," Don ordered gently.

Charlie sighed wearily. "Fine. I promise. Happy?"

"Deliriously." Don squeezed his hand and released it. "I'll be back later, all right?"

"Be careful, Donnie," Alan warned as Don headed out the door.

Don waved his hand in response.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Don's mind was swirling with thoughts as he guided his car down the busy road. He knew he should pay attention to driving, but he couldn't help it as his mind slipped back to the look on his brother's face when he had asked about Danny.

Flashes of memory assailed him from long ago. Danny had been one of his best friends. When others would ridicule him for having a 'freak' for a brother, Danny was there, standing beside him, willing to be his friend. While Don knew that he had said and done some things to belittle Charlie as a way of building his friendship with Danny, he still couldn't believe that the man he had believed to be his friend had taken it to different level.

Shame washed through him. He should have been a better brother back then; he knew that. Don didn't know if he would ever be able to make up to Charlie all the years of hurt and ridicule that he had helped to put on his younger brother. Charlie, for some reason, didn't hold that against him, but he didn't have to. Don felt bad enough on his own.

On the tail of his shame came a fresh surge of hot anger. Anger at Danny for terrorizing and threatening his brother, and anger at himself for turning a blind eye while it happened. He didn't know who he was more angry with, but there was plenty of the feeling to go around.

Suddenly, Don had to see Danny. He had to look the man in his face, the man he had thought he had known, and see for himself if he was truly the monster that Don was beginning to suspect he was.

He made a sharp left turn onto the next street, ignoring the blaring horns that indignant drivers sent out at him. His decision made, he found his way to his friend's motel easily. Don had barely parked his car when he jumped out, slammed the door shut, and ran up to the door that he knew led to Danny's room.

Don's insistent pounding was answered within moments. Danny frowned in concern at Don as soon as he opened the door, tucking his weapon into his holster. "Don? What the hell? What's wrong?"

Don pushed his way past Danny and turned to face him. "Danny, I have to know something."

Danny shut the door and folded his arms at Don. "Well, don't let me stop you. What is it?"

Don looked closely at the face of the man he had known since adolescence. A sudden vein of doubt wound through his brain. What if he was wrong? What if Danny really was innocent? He would be destroying one of the best friendships he had ever had.

Another image of Charlie's wide-eyed terror while at the mercy of Blaze steeled his resolve. "Did you try to make Charlie back off of this case?"

Danny raised his eyebrows. "What's this about, Donnie?"

"Answer the question," Don ordered.

Danny sighed and dropped his arms to his sides. "I thought this case was too dangerous for a civilian to be working on. A lot of people have gotten hurt, and I knew you'd feel responsible if something happened to Charlie. I was only trying to get him to back off of this case for his safety."

"And that's all?" Don pressed. He wasn't sure he believed Danny. Something was setting off a warning bell in his head. "You didn't do anything else?"

Danny's hands went to his hips. "All right, Don, what's going on? Why are you in here giving me the third degree? Has something happened?"

Don felt weariness sweep through him, and he sank down on the end of one of the motel room's beds. "Charlie's in the hospital. He collapsed after being dosed with Blaze a couple days ago."

Danny's jaw dropped, and he gaped openly for a minute in what Don wondered was genuine shock. "Is he okay?"

"He's in pain while his body's trying to throw off the rest of the effects of the drugs," Don replied, feeling his anger build once more. "I swear to God, when I catch the son of a bitch who did this to him . . ."

"Hey, hey." Danny approached Don and rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We'll get them, Don, I swear. They won't get away with this. Have you got any leads?"

Don shook his head. "Not yet. The team is still looking into the drugging, but we haven't come up with anything yet."

Danny nodded. Something flickered in his face too quick for Don to catch. "Listen," he said to Don. "I was just on my way to a contact I've managed to establish with a supplier. I'm going to be out of touch for a while, but as soon as I'm done, I'll give you a call. Why don't you head on over to the hospital and look after that brainiac brother of yours?"

Don studied his friend's face, then slowly began to nod. "All right. Let me know how things turn out, okay?"

"Of course." Danny grinned broadly as Don stood. "Tell Charlie I said hi, and the next time he decides to drink coffee, order out."

Don's body tensed ever-so-slightly, but he let out a weak laugh. "I'll pass that along. Be careful out there, man."

Danny patted Don on the back as he opened the door, escorting Don out of his room. Don headed back to his car, feeling numb all over. He slid into the driver's seat, but instead of turning the ignition, he gripped the steering wheel and stared blankly at the parking lot in front of him.

He hadn't mentioned the coffee.

Don couldn't believe it. Danny was his friend . . . _had been_ his friend. Even now, standing in the motel room, Danny had acted like nothing more than a concerned and supportive friend. It was impossible to think that he was responsible.

_But he hadn't mentioned the coffee._

Danny had been out of contact with the office since the day before, shortly before Charlie's drugging. There would have been no other way he would have known about the drug being in Charlie's coffee . . . not unless . . .

_Unless, God help him, he _put_ it there._

Don's cell phone rang, jarring Don out of his thoughts. Pulling it out, he flipped it open. "Eppes."

"Don." It was Megan. "I think you need to come back to the office. Colby and I found some things we think you need to see."

"I'm on my way."

* * *

Megan and Colby were in the conference room, pouring over several file folders at the table when Don burst into the room. He gave Colby a curious look. "I thought I sent you with David."

"I decided to give Megan a hand with all this paperwork," Colby replied. "David's still on him, though."

Don nodded, accepting the answer. His expression turned to one of determination as he pierced his agents with a steady gaze. "What've you got?"

Megan handed him one of the files. A quick glance through it told Don that it was Danny's personnel file with the DEA. He looked up at Megan in surprise. "How did you get this?"

"I have a few friends with the DEA," Megan replied blandly. "We've been going over Danny's previous cases and we've found a few interesting things."

Don sat in a nearby chair. "Like?"

Colby answered him. "Your buddy's service record has been spotless until about five years ago, when a bunch of negative reports started to appear in his file. Stuff like insubordination, reckless endangerment, compromising cases . . . all sorts of things that should have started an investigation, but he's been managing to dodge all that."

"What happened five years ago that would cause a dedicated DEA agent to suddenly snap like this?" Don wondered aloud, flipping through the file.

Megan passed him another file. "Five years ago, there was a major investigation into shipments of cocaine coming into the United States from South America. The DEA looked into it and found evidence that led back to several wealthy businessmen looking to pad their wallets further."

Don nodded slowly. "Yeah, I remember that case. Wasn't the ringleader a higher-up in Intell Corp?"

"The vice president," Colby confirmed. "Before they arrested him, though, there was a major firefight during one of the shipments. The DEA had moved too early and nearly lost the case. As a result, several lives were lost on both sides. Danny had argued with his ASAC not to go through with the bust. He knew that the suppliers were ready for them, but Danny's ASAC gave the order anyway, and that order cost the life of Danny's partner, who also happened to be his fiancée."

Don grew very still. "I didn't know . . . If I had . . ."

An awkward silence ensued. Megan shot a quick look at Colby, then turned back to Don. "It's from that point on that Danny's behavior skewed erratically. He's been shunted from office to office, never staying anywhere very long. It's within the last two years, though, that he started to seriously jeopardize some of his cases."

"How so?" Don asked.

"Evidence going missing, mainly," Megan replied. "Evidence that would have secured a conviction tended up getting 'misplaced' on more than one occasion. Danny's coworkers have also reported that an easy arrest turned into a chase, and a few times they lost their suspect. There's no proof, but a few people have expressed suspicions of Danny turning double agent, working with the drug dealers."

"That's ridiculous!" Don exclaimed. "Danny would _never_-."

"Maybe not back then, Don, but how can you deny this?" Megan waved another file at him. "The evidence is right here. Danny's put us all at risk, threatened Charlie's life, and he probably let the other suspect go the other day on 42nd! Don, he's going to lose us this case!"

Don opened his mouth to protest, but stopped.

_He hadn't mentioned the coffee._

"Don?" Megan asked.

Don shook his head. "I went to see Danny. I had to know . . ."

When nothing further was forthcoming, Colby nodded. "Know what?"

Don sighed. "I . . . I wanted to know if he had bullied Charlie. He acted exactly how a concerned friend is expected to act. I told him that Charlie had been drugged, but when I left, he made some comment about Charlie ordering out for coffee. The thing is, I never said that it was his coffee that had been drugged."

"We gotta pull him off this case, Don," Colby stated. "We've been lucky so far, but that won't last forever."

Don didn't have the chance to reply when his cell phone rang again. He answered it quickly, hearing David's voice on the other end. Megan and Colby watched Don as his face hardened. The senior agent nodded, though David couldn't see him.

"All right," Don said into his phone. "Stay put, we're on our way."

He hung up and turned to the other two agents, a fire in his eyes that had slowly been simmering earlier. "David followed Danny to an abandoned electronics store a couple miles away from his motel. He saw a couple known dealers go in with him. It looks like they're holding a meeting. Get the team together and grab the surveillance equipment. We're going after him. It ends now."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Don lightly pressed his fingers against the earpiece in his right ear, straining to hear every word that his best friend spoke. He wanted to make sure he heard everything right; a part of him still hoped he could find something to prove that Danny was innocent. That this all was a mistake. Unfortunately, the more Don thought about it, the less likely Danny's innocence seemed.

" . . . the feds?" Clarke was saying. "I'm still not sure that this isn't a setup."

Don heard Danny scoff. "Weren't you paying _any_ attention? I spiked my buddy's kid brother's drink to get them off our backs for a while, and now you're backing out of the deal? You don't get that option. Not after everything I've done for you."

Don felt an angry heat rush through him as he replayed Danny's words in his mind. He didn't need any other proof. Danny had nearly killed Charlie, and he was blowing it off as some minor inconvenience. Any hope of helping his friend out died in that instant.

Megan glanced sideways at Don, her concern on her face. She could see the anger rolling off of Don in waves. "Don, maybe you should sit this one out."

Don merely tossed her a look that told her what he thought of that suggestion.

Megan sighed, not intimidated in the slightest. "Fine. Then let David and Colby lead in. We don't want our case compromised by personal vendettas."

Don thought about that for a moment, then finally nodded. "All right, people. David, Colby, when I give the signal, we charge. Everyone else, keep your positions. I want these guys."

He heard the murmurs of assent through the lines and realized that the attack on Charlie in the safety of the bullpen had affected more than just him. The other agents at the office who knew Charlie had come to see the young professor as a member of the team, and each of them were determined to bring down the people responsible. Don felt some of his anger ebb at that thought.

"I want the rest of this shipment out on the streets by tonight," Danny was saying. "Don't tell me no; just _make_ it happen. I want my money. If I don't get paid by midnight tonight, you won't be as lucky as the runt I drugged earlier."

Megan's hand shot out at lightning speed, clamping down solidly on Don's forearm. It was the only thing that kept Don from charging into the building.

"We got 'em," she said into the microphone, her voice taking on a steely edge. "Move out!"

The agents swarmed over the building, appearing as if from thin air as they surrounded the warehouse and blocked every potential exit. Don ran into the open, hearing Megan right beside him. At the front door, he could just see David and Colby pause and nod at each other before bursting into the building, guns out.

"FBI!" David shouted, his voice clashing with Colby's as they identified themselves and barked orders for everyone to freeze. "Don't move! Stay where you are! Put your hands where I can see them!"

Don hurried into the building after his team, striding through the crowds and right up to Colby and David, who had just finished cuffing Danny's hands behind his back. Danny turned to Don, a look of anger on his face.

"Donnie, what the hell are you doing?" he demanded. "You just ruined a sting operation that took a long time to set up!"

"Save it, Danny," Don snapped. "We got everything on tape. You've been accepting kickbacks from a major druglord for the last two years! You've turned the other way while hundreds of innocent kids _died_ from this stuff!"

"It's called collecting evidence," Danny shot back. "I had enough to put some of these guys away for years when you interrupted me!"

"Really?" Don stepped closer to Danny until he was barely an inch away. "Where is all this evidence? You haven't checked anything in, you've shared nothing with your supervisors . . . Or maybe you can explain how some of your 'evidence' ended up in my brother's coffee?"

Something flickered in Danny's eyes too quick for Don to identify. "You don't know, Don. How can you just stand there and let this happen? You think because you have a badge that you're on the good side? You don't know _shit_."

Don tempered his voice. "Listen, Danny, I know about your fiancée, and I'm sorry, but you're punishing innocent people for the mistake of one man. You can't do that. We have a justice system for a reason."

"Don't stand there and preach to me, Donnie," Danny snapped back. "You don't know what I went through! I _told _him not to go through with the sting, and he decided to do it anyway! Despite all the evidence I brought to him, he gave the fucking order, and I had to watch while Jessica _died_ in my arms, and I couldn't do a _damn_ thing about it!"

"But helping drug dealers, Danny?" Don pressed.

"Why the hell not?" Danny spat. "I wasn't getting anywhere in the DEA. That sonofabitch ASAC of mine received a commendation for that bust, and I had to bury the love of my life! If I have to work with corrupt people, I figured I may as well get something out of it."

Don stared at his old friend in shock. Surely this wasn't the same man who had stood by him through high school amidst all the teasing and ridicule. "Danny . . . why Charlie? He didn't do anything to you."

Danny snorted. "He didn't have to. I figured dosing him with Blaze would get you and your team off of my coworkers' backs long enough for one more big payoff."

A strange ringing sounded in Don's ears. He felt his anger begin to bubble up through the numbness that had settled over him in his shock at the callous, dismissive way Danny had spoken of Charlie.

"Really, it was more of a bonus than anything else to mess with him," Danny continued, a smile twisting his lips. "He was always such a pain in the ass, even if he _did_ get me out of some homework jams back in school. I bet the little pest never told you how I used to beat him up; hell, he was probably grateful to even hang out with us at all that he didn't mind getting knocked around every once in-."

He got no further than that. Don's hand clenched into a fist, and he let it fly with all of his strength. His fist connected with a satisfying crunch against Danny's nose, sending the DEA agent flying back onto his rear.

Don stared down at Danny, his fist still clenched at his side. Danny was curled on his side, blood streaming down his face.

"My nose!" he yelled. "Dammit! I think you broke it!"

"Consider yourself lucky," Don spat back. He turned his burning gaze onto the nearest agent. "Get him out of my sight."


	9. Epilogue

Epilogue

_2 days later_

Alan took a moment to observe his youngest child in the waning daylight. Charlie was sitting out on the back patio, a blanket drawn around his thin shoulders to ward off any chills. His head was bowed as he tentatively scooped up his soup onto his spoon. Seeing his baby boy look so small and fragile sent yet another surge of protectiveness through Alan. They had been so close to losing Charlie earlier that week . . . the very thought was almost unbearable to even imagine.

"Pop?"

Alan turned and smiled faintly at Don as his eldest made his way to the back of the house. "Hey, Donnie, how are you doing?"

Don grinned and accepted the hug his father offered. "Better." He nodded out the window at his brother. "How's Charlie doing? He behaving himself?"

"He's insisting that he's fine, but I know better." Alan heaved a deep sigh. "To tell you the truth, Donnie, I'm still scared. I keep waking up in the middle of the night to check on him. He was so close . . . any later, and he would have . . ."

"I know, Dad," Don agreed quietly. "But the doctors gave him a clean bill of health. Charlie's been responding to the doctor's treatments well, and he seems to have kicked any sort of addiction to the drug, so there's nothing to worry about anymore."

Alan let out a small huff of air. "I'll _always_ worry about you boys. Listen, I have to go pick up a few things. Could you stay a little while and watch your brother while I take care of them?"

"Of course, Dad," Don replied, slapping Alan on the back. "Go on. We'll be fine."

Alan nodded and took a step away from the window, but hesitated. He had barely been away from his youngest since Charlie had been admitted to the hospital, and he wanted to be nearby in case he was needed.

Don saw his father's distress and gently pushed Alan towards the door. "Dad, he'll be okay. I promise."

Alan nodded and, with a slight smile, finally left.

Don heaved a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. He knew how worried his father was about Charlie; hell, Charlie had been working on tracking the source of the drugs because of _him_. When Charlie had collapsed into his arms in the conference room, Don had nearly had a heart attack. He didn't think the nightmares would _ever_ leave him alone.

Taking a deep breath, Don opened the back door and moved out onto the patio. "Hey, Buddy. Whatcha eating?"

Charlie glanced up, a slight smile creasing his face. "Hey, Don. Nah, it's just some chicken soup. Dad won't let me eat anything unless the doctor clears it."

Don dropped into a chair beside his brother, trying hard not to pay attention to how shaky his brother still was. The drug had certainly taken its toll; Charlie was still pale and had lost a little weight, and the hands that held the spoon and bowl trembled slightly. But his eyes sparkled with life again, and that, more than anything, helped to put Don at ease.

"How're you feeling?" Don ventured.

Charlie shrugged, looking down into his soup. "Fine. The worst of it's over, really. Well, unless you count Dad's hovering."

Don allowed a small smile to slip through. "He's just worried. He'll get over it as soon as you get better."

Charlie tossed a side-glance to his brother, then looked down into his half-eaten bowl of soup. "Donnie, I . . . I'm sorry about Danny. I know how close you two had been."

Don felt his breath catch ever so slightly, guilt welling up in his stomach. He leaned forward, staring hard at the side of Charlie's head. "Charlie . . . it wasn't your fault."

Charlie shrugged. "I still feel responsible. He was your best friend since high school."

"Yeah, but not a very good one, from what I'm now finding out," Don replied. He reached over and grasped Charlie's shoulder. "If anything, _I_ should be the one who's sorry. I'm the one who brought Danny into our lives. I feel like I should have known better, should have done something to keep him from hurting you."

Charlie turned to Don. "Why, Don? How were you supposed to know if I never told you? You're not perfect."

"I was kind of hoping you'd never figure that out," Don replied smartly.

Charlie gave a small start, then chuckled at the sudden joke. He shook his head and looked back down into his soup. "I _am_ sorry, Donnie. He was your friend."

Don's grip tightened on Charlie's shoulder. "Yeah, but I think I have a better friend sitting right here."

Charlie flushed with pleasure, unable to meet his brother's eyes. Don grinned and moved his hand up to ruffle Charlie's hair, letting a chuckle escape as Charlie unsuccessfully tried to avoid it.

"C'mon, buddy," Don stated. "What say we go watch a movie or something?"

Charlie pushed himself to his feet, accepting Don's hand on his arm to steady himself. "You pop the popcorn, I'll pick the flick."

Don gently steered Charlie towards the back door. "I don't think so, man. I'm not in the mood for some boring documentary starring that wheelchair guy."

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call him that?" Charlie asked, exasperated. "His name is-."

"Stephen Hawking, yeah, I know," Don cut in, holding the door open for his brother. "I heard you the first hundred times you told me. I just like getting you all riled up."

"Just for that, we're watching the history of Phi throughout the ancient world."

"Not if I get to the TV first, we're not!"

THE END :)

Yeah! All done! Thank you all for your patience while I finished this. Hope you enjoyed it!


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